INDIANAPOLIS — It wasn’t pretty. Then again, March isn’t about style points.

It’s all about advancing to the next. As well as having the depth to survive. And No. 6 Michigan State basketball flexed its strength in numbers when it mattered most.

The top-seeded Spartans scrapped their way to a 74-64 Big Ten tournament-opening victory over No. 9 seed Oregon on Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, getting major contributions from unheralded pieces in Tom Izzo’s 10-man rotation.

Carson Cooper and Coen Carr provided energy jolts when things to stave off two Ducks rallies, combining for 16 points and 13 rebounds, including a career-high eight boards from Carr with his 10 points. MSU (27-5) extended its win streak to eight games, and it awaits the winner of the second quarterfinal between 4-seed Wisconsin and 5-seed UCLA. Tipoff is 1 p.m. Saturday (CBS).

Jase Richardson, who missed his first four shots and finished 4-for-13, led the Spartans with 17 points. The freshman hit three of their seven 3-pointers. However, Richardson — who suffered a concussion in Maui back in late November — took a knee to the head from Oregon’s TJ Bamba with 51.1 seconds left and left the game after making 1 of 2 free throws as it was upgraded to a flagrant foul. He remained on the bench for the final seconds.

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Jaden Akins added 12 points, and Jeremy Fears Jr. had 11 points and five assists. The Spartans struggled at the free throw line, going 17-for-29, and committed seven of their 12 turnovers in the second half.

Nate Bittle had 22 points and 11 rebounds for Oregon (24-9), which had an eight-game win streak after beating No. 9 seed Indiana on Thursday, 72-59. Bamba added 11 points but had five of the Ducks’ 15 turnovers.

MSU sets tone early

After falling behind by 14 points in the first half of the first meeting against the Ducks, the Spartans asserted themselves early despite a sluggish start from Richardson, the all-freshman team honoree.

MSU scored the game’s first eight points to set the tone. Then as Oregon scrapped its way back, the Spartans’ defense started clamping down in the final 6-plus minutes. And it coincided with Cooper re-entering the game.

Carr drained MSU’s third 3-pointer of the half, which was answered by Bamba at the other end to give Oregon a 28-27 lead.

Cooper came back into the game at 6:07, and he scored off a wrap-around interior pass from Jaxon Kohler. That was part of a 15-4 burst to close the half and give MSU a 42-32 lead at the break. The junior center had six points and four rebounds at the break, while Akins scored nine.

Bench jolts Spartans

Izzo said before the game turnovers would be a key.

At half, MSU had five turnovers that led to seven Oregon points, while the Spartans scored eight points off the Ducks’ nine giveaways.

Out of the locker room, MSU’s offense went into a funk with four early turnovers. Oregon capitalized, scoring six points off those giveaways. Then Keeshawn Barthelemy drained a 3-pointer. Timeout Izzo with 15:33 left — the Spartans’ lead quickly got sliced to a point, 44-43, with the Ducks’ 11-2 burst.

MSU’s strength in numbers again took over. This time, it was Carr providing a similar impact as Cooper did earlier.

In a 6:30-minute stretch, the sophomore swingman ripped five rebounds, including a put-back after a Frankie Fidler jumper in the paint. Then after a Fidler 3-pointer in transition, Carr snagged another board and broke out running, getting fouled hard by Bittle going for a thunder dunk.

Those plays sparked a 15-0 run that included a five-point possession for Richardson when Kohler got shoved to the ground on a 3-pointer, and Richardson hit another baseline jumper to make it 59-43 near the midpoint of the second half.

Oregon cut it back to nine, but another Carr two-handed jam out of a timeout — set up from a backdoor pass from Kohler to Richardson, then a wrap-around in traffic to Carr — pushed it back to 10 with inside four minutes to play. Oregon never got closer than seven.

Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari. 

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